Ed Norris: Everybody Please Focus
This horrific Penn State scandal has taken a sharp left turn and I wish everyone would re-focus on the real issue at hand.
Allegations of years of sexual abuse by Sandusky is the criminal conduct. The focus of our discussions should be the plight of the victims and as much as is possible how can we prevent future similar events. The manor of Paterno's firing while controversial is truly a second tier story.
The story is who knew what was happening, how long did they know and what did they do about it. We also need to be mindful that this is a grand jury indictment not a criminal conviction. This is only the government's side of a story and the people mentioned have not had their day to defend themselves in court.
Now all that said if these allegations are true and it was covered up those involved deserve all that can be heaped upon them. This isn't players selling game jerseys or gambling, this is the sexual assault of children. This is the most horrific of crimes ...period. That needs to be in the forefront of your mind everytime you listen to it talked about on television or radio and even more importantly when you discuss it with your friends.
Penn State's reputation, Joe Paterno's legacy, college football and every other tangential story places a distant second to the shattered lives of men who were just innocent boys who had their childhoods stolen from them.
